Santa got me an onion saver this year. It's essentially just a plastic container for a cut onion. Does this differ in any meaningful way from a plastic bag or Tupperware container? It seems a little unnecessary...

I'll agree it's unnecessary in general, but if you don't use hard clear containers, and only have tupperware and the like, it's useful so you don't use other containers and impart onion flavors on the next thing to go in it. (and, if you have one obvious container that's for onion, when it's not in the cupboard or dishrack/dishwasher, it's a good sign that there's some already cut onion to use that might be hidden in the back of the fridge)
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JoeDec 27 '10 at 17:43

@Joe: So essentially you're saying it's useful as an organizational tool. Not that I disagree, but wouldn't a piece of masking tape and some magic marker accomplish the same task?
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Aaronut♦Dec 27 '10 at 18:29

@Aaronut no, because then you'd have a container that actually stacks well, as opposed to the half-sphere 'onion savers' you typically see in the store (that don't even fit larger sized onions)
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JoeDec 27 '10 at 18:39

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@Joe: Just an observation--we use any old reusable container for half-onions, sometimes it's a hard container, sometimes it's worn, scored-up old Tupperware, and in no cases have we had a problem with the onion flavor/smell carrying over to the next thing we put in the container. I suppose there might be some risk if you were to follow an onion with leftover creme caramel or something, but for most cases I think the risk of flavor contamination is minimal at most.
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bikeboy389Dec 29 '10 at 16:26